Arnold Palmer Invitational DFS Preview

Break out the sweet tea and lemonade pitcher, it is time for the Arnold Palmer Invitational! The PGA Tour will be playing at another Florida golf course and one that is designed by the former Wake Forest golfer named Arnold Palmer. Collin Morikawa destroyed the field last week at the Workday…he is absent from Bay Hill though. Last year, torrential wind and harsh playing conditions allowed for a winner to have a 4 under par score…one which Tyrrell Hatton obtained. It is worth noting that Hatton will be looking to repeat and is one of the higher priced golfers this week.

My strategy for this week is to look at Strokes Gained while Approaching the Green. The weather does not look to be a major factor this weekend, although Orlando, Florida looks to have close to 20 mph winds on the final day. A golfer that is precise on where they shoot is very key as well. Bay Hill is loaded with water hazards and is a little longer at close to 7,500 yards. Looking at a lot of golfers responses on the course, I kept seeing that even with the length…this is a second shot golf course. Another fun fact…an America golfer last won here in 2015 (Matt Every) and since then Australian, Irish, English and Italian golfers took home the trophy.

Tier 1: Rory McIlroy ($11,500)

Photo Credit: Golf.com

Very rarely do I go with the most expensive option on the slate, but I think it is time for Rory to win a tourney in 2021. He is a past winner here and his consistent ability to do everything well is my main reasoning. I am hoping that people will fade Rory this week and go with a more balanced lineup, but I think there is a lot of value in the bottom tiers for this one. Also, I will have Viktor Hovland ($10,600) in my lineup. Like Rory…he is one of the best in just about everything.

Tier 2: Will Zalatoris ($8,600)

Just like Arnold Palmer, Zalatoris attended Wake Forest. Now, this is not a good enough reason to go with him, but being top-10 in Approach and Tee-to-Green is. I pick Zalatoris more often than not and he never lets us down. Another great all-around golfer, Zalatoris will be near the top of the leaderboard this weekend. If he can get his putting on par with the elite, look out!

Tier 3: Russell Knox ($6,700)

The Scottish golfer is top-15 in Approach and 2nd in hitting the green in regulation. I feel like Knox is a value in that upper $6k range that may go over-looked. Putting is one of his weaknesses, but if he can get that going, I really like Knox’s chances to get a top-10.